Means for controlling infant&#39;s hands while being fed



April 1, 1958 G. P. STRELAKOS MEANS FOR CONTROLLING INFANTS HANDS WHILE BEING FED Filed March 12, 195'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR AT ORNEYS,

April 1, 1958 G. P. STRELAKOS MEANS FOR CONTROLLING INFANTS HANDS WHILE BEING FED Filed March 12, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m 3 ATTORNEYS,

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING INFANTS HANDS WHILE BEING FED George P. Strelakos, Stamford, Conn. Application March 12, 1957, Serial No. 645,430

3 Claims. (Cl. 128134) This invention relates to a means for controlling an infants hands while it is being fed, and has for an object to provide such means in an improved form of garment which may be applied to cover the body of the infant in such a way as to confine the arms and hands within the garment to prevent interference with the feeding operation, but still will be sufficiently loose to permit free movement of the arms and hands within the garment so as not to irritate the child.

Another object is to provide such a garment with means whereby the arms and hands may be released after the feeding operation for use outside of the garment.

' Another object is to provide such a garment which may be readily applied to the child and can take the form of both a wrap-around and romper type of garment.

A further object is to provide means whereby a protective bib may be readily detachably secured to the gar ment if desired for protection during the feeding operation.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification. It is, however, to be understood the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction and arrangement shown but may embody various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention.

, In these drawings:

Fig. l is a view showing the garment applied to a child;

Fig. 2 is a front view of one form of the garment with portions broken away;

.Fig. 3 is a front view of the garment removed from the child;

Fig. 4 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 5 is a rear view showing a somewhat mo construction;

Fig. 6 is a front view of a still further somewhat modified construction, and p Pig. 7 is a front view of another modification.

Fig. 1 shows the garment of Figs. 3 and 4 applied to a child to control his hands during the feeding operation. It will be seen it comprises a garment 10 which is both a wrap-around and romper type of garment to enclose the body of a child, and has a neck opening 11 and leg openings'12 with an integral crotch strap 13 connecting the front and back portions. It is open in the back from the neck opening to a point near the lower portion 6f the back, as indicated at 14, for easy application to the child for wrapping around its body to enclose it, and with the legs passing through theopenings 12 and the neck through the opening 11. It may be secured in position by any suitable fastening means connecting the opposite sides of the opening 14, such, for example, as tie strings 15, and there may be elastic bands or elastics enclosed in the edges 16 of the neck opening and the edges 17 of the leg openings.

The garment is of a material which is elastic or stretchable laterally, such as a knitted material, or jersey cloth 2,828,738 Patented Apr. 1, 1958 which is sufficiently elastic so that it may be expanded or stretched horizontally, and it is of a size to confine the arms 18 and hands 19 within the garment between the garment and the body so as to prevent interference by the child with the feeding operation. The garment, however, is sutficiently loose on the body and has suflicient stretch horizontally or laterally to permit free movement of the arms and hands within the garment so as not to irritate; the child or give it the sense of being unduly confined or restricted, but will prevent movement of the hands beyond the neck and crotch portions. Opposite the arms it is provided with openings 20 of sufticient height or length to permit passage of the hands and arms for use outside the garment after the feeding operation, thus permitting the garment to be retained on the body if desired after the feeding. These openings, however, are provided with means for closing them to retain the arms and hands within the garment during the feeding operation, by any suitable means, such, for example,

as a longitudinally extending overlapping flap 21 which may be secured by suitable fasteners, such as snap fasteners 22. Also there may be provided means for detachably securing to this garment a protective bib, which is removed in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, but is indicated at 23 in Figs. 2 and 6, detachably secured to the garment by suitable snap fasteners 24, and these snap fasteners may be provided on both the backand front of the garment for use of a bib should the garment be placed on the child in reversed position. Also there may be provided means within the garment, such, for example, as a patch attention of the child through use of the hands during the feeding operation. I

In the form of Fig. 2 the garment 10a is the same as in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, except instead of having the elasticv in a folded hem about the neck and leg openings, an elastic knitted band 27 is provided about the neck and similar bands 28 about the leg openings. The neck band may be opened for a short distance and closed by a fastener-secured flap 27a on one side to permit enlarging of the opening for passage of a childs head. This garment is also changed somewhat in that it is provided with arm openings in the short sleeves 29 also terminating in elastic bands 30. Along the opposite upright side edges under the arm it is open at 31 tocorrespond with the openings 20 in the first form, and these are carried up and along the under side of the short sleeve to the free end thereof to permit the garment to be opened to facilitate application to the body of the child. This "open! ing may be closed by an overlapping strip 32 and secured by any fastening means, such as snap fasteners 33. Also there may be provided in the garment across the chest portion thereof one or more elastic strips ,34'to. act as additional restraining means for the handsandarms during the feeding operation, but may yield or stretch to, permit free movement of the hands and arms within the, garment so as not to irritate the child. This'garm'entya's' in the others, isprovided with snap ,fasteners'24 fdr detachably securing to the garment a protective bib, 23.

In Fig. 5 is shown a modified type of garment which, the same as the first forms, is .both a wrap-around and temper type of garment'and comprises a body'portion 35 to enclose the body, and is provided with a neck opening 36 having an elastic edge 37 and leg openings 38 with elastic edges 39. In this case, however, the back is open all the way from the neck opening to the leg openings, as indicated at 40, to facilitate application of the garment to the child, and the crotch strap 41, instead of being integral with both the front and back portions 3 of the: garmennjas inthe first form, is'integral with the front portion but is provided with suitable fasteners such as snap fasteners 42 at its free end for snapping over cooperating elements 43 on the back portion of the garment; Theaopen. back 4% may be-SecuredPWhen on? the childby suitable fastenings', suchas .the-tie:f-asteningsi of.'the firsti form, or snap fasteners-44.- .The.r'-ront and back. may: both: be provided with snap fasteners 2495601- detachably securing a protective-bib; 23-to the. garment;

At its :opposite uprightside edges itlis providediwith openingsAS correspondingto'the openings .20 ef the'first. form and closed .by similar. fiaps46 and fasteners 47 to confine and restrain the hands and armswithin: the garment during the feeding operation, and mayjbereleasedrafter the-feedingoperation-to permit-the armsandhandslto be of substantially the same material and provided with the releasably closed openings 45 along the opposite sides, the same as inthe other garment.

In Fig. 7' is a slightly changed garment 61 similar to that of Fig. 5, except that the side openings 48 are extended from a point near the shoulders to the lower edge of the garment, or thatis, the edge of the leg openihgs, and which, instead of using elastic around the edge of the opening, has a knitted elasticband 49. It is open at the back, as indicated at 50, to facilitate application to the child and secured by the tie: Strings. 51,.with .a neck opening 52 and an elastic edge 53. The front and back may be secured by the crotch strap 54 secured to one of them and fastened to the other by snap fasteners, 55 and 56. There is also shown in this garment means for restricting its lateral stretch or elasticity, the garment being made of the same material as the other forms. This restricting means may be employed for an unusually active child and may be used in each of the forms shown as well as the form of Fig. 7. It comprises a loop 57 secured on the inside of the front portion of the garment by a suitable pad 58, and laterally of the upright center portion of the garment and on the opposite side are tie strings 59. By looping these strings through the loop 57 and tying them, this arrangementprovides an adjustable means to reduce or restrict lateral stretch or yielding of the garment which may be employed for an unusually active child to provide more restriction than that normally provided by the material of the garment itself. This garment, it will be understood, will'be used the same as the other forms to enclose the body and confine the arms and hands of the child within the garment during' the feeding operation and still permit it sufiiciently free movement of thehands and arms as not to irritate the child or give it the sense of being unduly restricted. This additional means 57 and 59 may be applied to any of the forms of the garment shown, it being shown only on the garment of Fig. 7 to simplify the drawings. The opposite edges'of this garment are open the: same as in the other forms, as indicated at'48, except that the opening is exform of garment but is very efiective in providing means for controlling an infants hands While it is being fed, to prevent interference by the child with the feeding opera tion, but that the garment; is large enough and loose enough on the body, and has sufiicient lateral stretch or yield to permit free movement of the hands and arms in any direction within the garment except beyond the neck and crotch, and thus willnot irritate the child or cause it to become restless; that the detachable protective tended'down to the leg openings, audit is closed by suitable fasteners 60 to permit release of the arms for. use of the hands outside the garment after the feeding operation. It will be seen from the above that this isa'very simple wear the" gar-mentafterthe feeding operation and still use his hands and armsoutside the garment in a normal manner. The garment is obstructive only in the sense that it offers resistance to the infant when it reaches out to take hold of a spoon, for example. Its appearance will be decorative. .soas notto appear as an. obstructive or restrictive, device.

Having thus set forth. the nature of my invention, 1 claim:

1. A means of the. .character described for controlling an infants-hands while being fed, comprising a garment adaptedto enclose the childs body of a size to confine the hands .and'. arms between the. garment and body to restrict them to prevent interference with the feeding operationbut. loose enough to: permit free movement of thelhands except above. theneckand below the crotch, the material of the. garment beingstretchable laterally to permitsuch movement of thehands and arms, and upright fastener-closed. openings; at opposite sides topermit freeing of the hands and' arms. for use outside the garment after the. feeding, operation.

2. A means of the character .described for controlling an infants hands While beingted, comprising. a romper type garment having'neck andleg openings and adapted to enclose the childs 'body. of-a size .to confine. the hands and arms between the garment-and body to prevent interference :with the'feedi'ng operation, the garment being of a material-which is stretchable'laterally to permit free movement ofthe hands and-arms within the garment, and'th'e garment provided with upright openings atthe 0pposite sides to permit freeing of'the hands and arms for use outside the garment after the feeding operation, and fastening means for closing said openings to confine the hands and armswithin the'garment.

3. A means of the character described for controlling an infants hands while being fed, comprising a garment of the romper type having neck and leg openings, said garment of a size to enclose the childs body and confine the hands and arms within .the garment to prevent interference with the feeding operation while permitting free movement of the hands andarms-within the garment, the garment being of laterally stretchable material and provided with elastic strips across the chest portion, and said garment'provided with upright openings at the opposite sides to free the arms and hands for use outside the garment, and securing means for closing said openings' to confine the arms and hands to movement within the garment;

References Cited-in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wyner Feb. 28, 1956 

